5 Things to Know About Cape Cod

November 2, 2018November 8, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

I say “Cape Cod,” and you think … Patti Page song? Kennedys playing touch football at Hyannis Port? Jaws? Wellfleet oysters? Summer stock theater? Whale-watching? For a small peninsula of just 339 square miles, Cape Cod manages to pack in an immense amount of history, food culture and local color. Cameron...

The Atlantic Divide: Red Trousers

October 11, 2018October 30, 2018Cameron Ansari

The avoidance of controversy has been a guiding principle for articles on this website, but a recent vacation to New England ‒ Nantucket Island specifically ‒ has unleashed my emotional conflicts on the contentious subject of men wearing red trousers. Or, in my case, not wearing them. Our host on Cape...

A Year Ago and Today

September 17, 2018September 18, 2018Cameron Ansari

For all the number nerds out there, here are some statistics showing River Oaks real estate activity August 1 through September 15 this year and last year. A quick glance at the numbers in the table above would suggest that we are in a radically different market as we head into...

Ask the Agents #9: Earnest Money and Option Fees

September 17, 2018September 17, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: What is an option fee? How is it different from earnest money? Answer: Earnest money is an amount agreed on in your home-purchase contract that you pay soon after the contract is signed by all parties. It is typically about one percent of the agreed-upon price, although it can be...

2300 Timber Lane: A Mid-Century Home With Plans to Stay

August 9, 2018August 11, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

River Oaks has always been a daunting real estate market, especially for younger homebuyers. Getting a toe-hold in the neighborhood has been made even more difficult in recent years by builders who have been snapping up older and smaller homes – the fixer-uppers, if you will – and scraping them from...

5 Myths About Flood Insurance

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Along with the rest of greater Houston, the upcoming first anniversary of Hurricane Harvey has us reminiscing. How are our friends recovering? What have we learned? What changes are underway to our region’s infrastructure? One lesson that stands out is the importance of flood insurance. Thousands of Houstonians who had never...

Ask the Agents #8: Short Sales, Setbacks, Home Inspections & More

July 30, 2018August 14, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Last year we began a new feature on our blog called Ask the Agents. It’s proven to be one of the most popular features on the website. Here is the current batch of questions – most of them from our clients – and answers. Question: What does “short sale” mean? Answer:...

At the Half-Way Mark: River Oaks Update

July 10, 2018July 11, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

We are preparing the mid-year print edition of the River Oaks Market Report even as I write. But as a little appetizer before we dig into Cameron’s meaty main course, we have some figures for you on what has been happening in the River Oaks real estate market since January 1. (Please...

Five Things to Know About the River Oaks Real Estate Market Right Now

June 17, 2018June 17, 2018Cameron Ansari

A preview of some of the trends we will examine in greater depth in our upcoming semi-annual River Oaks Market Report We’re going to keep it simple and skim over the highlights of what we’ve noted in the market since January. We will drill down deep next month in the print publication...

Hermès: A Heritage Brand to Know

June 17, 2018June 18, 2018Taylor Byrne Dodge

Last month, I got a lesson in heritage brand Hermès. As you probably know, Hermès is famous for its Birkin bag (designed and named after model/actress Jane Birkin), the Kelly bag (which was around long before it became associated with Grace Kelly, who used it to hide her pregnancy from the...